1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for culturing stem cells. More particularly, the present invention relates to a culture chamber having a dual flow valving member, wherein a first flow path passes under a molecular cut-off membrane covering a central core that transverses the culture chamber and a second flow path flows through the culture chamber and allows cells to be harvested while in suspension.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of stem cells for regenerative therapies is one of the most exciting prospects in biomedical research. The translation of laboratory findings in stem cell biology into clinical therapies must overcome significant bioprocessing and safety challenges.
Stem cells are a particularly attractive source of material for regenerative medicine by virtue of their extensive ability to proliferate and differentiate into multiple cell lineages. However, this characteristic is associated with a risk of malignant transformation. If regenerative therapies using stem cells are to be realized on a practical scale, bioprocessing technologies must be developed which can achieve the necessary cell expansion while minimizing the risks of tumor development.
Current approaches to this problem have relied on conventional cell culture technologies which have proven adequate for cell-derived products such as antibodies and recombinant proteins but less than optimal for stem cells.